Each NFC West Team's Most Overrated Player

The NFC West has two teams who are no stranger to the playoffs in recent years in the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

Behind them are two young and exciting teams in the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. All four of those teams are capable of beating each other in the division race, and it makes for an exciting competition for fans to look forward to.

Each team is loaded with talent, some teams more than others, but if you pooled the four teams together and stacked them against other divisions - you would find the NFC West to be quite talented.

Still, the four teams have a variety of players who could be a number of things from underachieving to below average and beyond -- I say we call them what they are and assign that awful, yucky "overrated" label to them.

We're going to take a look at each team's most (supposed) overrated player and a runner up. There is no distinction or bias for positions or sides of the ball; if you're the most or second-most overrated player on your team then you're on the list.

We can start with a player that I imagine a near consensus of fans would side with me on...

Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray

I'm sorry for saying this, I truly am... but when are we going to stop the conversations of Murray being a top-12 quarterback or even higher than that? He hasn't been anywhere near that area since he signed his extension in 2022.

In fact, Arizona has a losing record with him under center and has 41 touchdown passes against a whopping 24 interceptions. Murray also has a miserable, and I mean miserable 6.7 yards per attempt (rounding up) in that time frame.

Even if you want to go for his career, he's been outside the top 30 in YPA in all but two seasons (2019, 2021).

He's truly been much closer to average than top-12-or-better.

Now, Murray is entering a do-or-die season in which he needs to play some of the best ball of his career -- preferably his absolute best. It's far time he lives up to that perception, but it's going to take a lot to get there.

HM: Greg Dortch

Cardinals fans will have my head for this one, but I will not apologize. I am a fan of Dortch and I'm ready for him to break out the same way everyone else is! But, this is just Rondale Moore all over again, and until he shows otherwise I refuse to buy in to the hype.

He's a reserve player at best as it stands.

Los Angeles Rams: Tyler Higbee

In the famous words of Regina George, "Stop trying to make Tyler Higbee happen. It's not going to happen." Well, she may have been talking about something else, but I know she would agree with me on this.

Yes, Higbee was injured last season, but what about every year before that when we tried claiming he was the next Travis Kelce? And don't pretend you never heard those comparisons because they were real.

No, Higbee has had under 10 yards per reception in three of the last four seasons and only two seasons with more than 600 receiving yards in nine years. He's the definition of "fine" when assessing the tight end position, but that's where it ends. Higbee is an afterthought in this offense and that trend will continue in 2025.

HM: Matthew Stafford

I can hear the hate culminating in the comments as I type this, but we should be able to agree that Stafford is slowing down. He was terrific in the Rams' Super Bowl run in 2021, but he's a shell of that player -- and that happens with age.

He may have elite weapons at his disposal, but it would be unrealistic to assume he goes back to posting gaudy numbers as he enters in his 17th season at age 37 years old.

By the way, he's shown signs of regression since then, so I'm not fabricating this.

San Francisco 49ers: Bryce Huff

I think it's kind of cheating to put Huff here considering he just arrived to the Bay Area, but at the same time it's also a bit of a layup. After all, Huff has had one season of good production in 2023 when he recorded 10 sacks with the Jets.

He has 10 sacks in four other seasons combined including 2.5 last year with a vaunted Eagles' pass rush.

Philly made a trade to acquire Huff last offseason and gave him a three-year extension worth $51.1 million after they couldn't figure out a deal with Haason Reddick, who was exchanged for Huff.

It was a massive letdown especially during their Super Bowl run that he missed.

San Francisco got him for a conditional day three pick and he will reunite with Robert Salah, who coached him to his breakout season in New York. Perhaps he can find a renaissance on the west coast, but he can and should be lower on this depth chart despite big changes to the room.

HM: Brandon Aiyuk

As an Arizona State alum, I am hesitant to put Aiyuk here and nearly went with Jauan Jennings. However, after signing a big contract extension, Aiyuk was mediocre at best last season even before injury with no touchdowns in seven games.

San Francisco's offense as a whole struggled last season and Aiyuk was at the forefront of it all.

Seattle Seahawks: Kenneth Walker III

Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walke — Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) during warmups before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

I've never seen an average running back be so hyped up on an annual basis in my entire life. Walker is entering a contract season and after rushing for 1,050 yards in 15 games as a rookie, he's managed 1.478 yards in 27 games. His YPC also dropped from 4.6 to ~4.0 (rounding up).

And yet I find Walker frequently discussed in the last two years as a "breakout" candidate, and it's time to let it go.

We can highlight how bad the Seahawks' offensive line has been, sure, but he's failed to make the most of any opportunities presented to him while also being outplayed by his back up, Zach Charbonnet, who faces the same circumstances.

HM: Demarcus Lawrence

"Tank" hasn't been himself since he signed his fat contract extension with the Cowboys in 2019. Lawrence managed just 27.5 sacks in the six years since then and signed a short deal with Seattle this offseason.

It's incredibly unlikely that he will be the savior for the team's outside pass rush and should not be championed as such.

The NFC West will be a highly competitive division in 2025 and I fully believe we could see the ranking end in just about any possible scenario from first to last place; no outcome would surprise me.